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Kingdom of Xia (Phoenix) #2
Fury of the Phoenix
The Gods have abandoned Ai Ling. Her mysterious power haunts her day and night, and she leaves home—with just the moon as her guide—overwhelmed by her memories and visions and an unbearable sense of dread. For Ai Ling knows that Chen Yong is vulnerable to corrupt enchantments from the under-world. How can she do nothing when she has the skill and power to fight at his side? A dream has told her where he is, the name of the ship he is traveling on, his destination. So she steals off and stows away on board. The ocean voyage brings with it brutal danger, haunting revelations, and new friendships, but also the premonition of a very real and terrifying threat. Zhong Ye—the powerful sorcerer whom Ai Ling believed she had vanquished in the Palace of Fragrant Dreams—is trapped in Hell, neither alive nor dead. Can he reach from beyond the grave to reunite with Silver Phoenix and destroy Chen Yong? And destroy whatever chance Ai Ling has at happiness, at love? In this sequel to the acclaimed novel Silver Phoenix , four lives are woven together and four destinies become one, now and forever.
362 pages, Hardcover
First published March 29, 2011
About the author
Cindy Pon
8 books1,099 followersCindy Pon is the author of Silver Phoenix (Greenwillow), which was named one of the Top Ten Fantasy and Science Fiction Books for Youth by the American Library Association’s Booklist, and one of 2009′s best Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror by VOYA. Her most recent duology Serpentine and Sacrifice (Month9Books) were both Junior Library Guild selections and received starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal. WANT (Simon Pulse), also a Junior Library Guild selection, is a near-future thriller set in Taipei releasing June 13th. RUSE, the sequel, is slated for spring 2019. She is the co-founder of Diversity in YA with Malinda Lo and on the advisory board of We Need Diverse Books. Cindy is also a Chinese brush painting student of over a decade. Learn more about her books and art at http://cindypon.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 161 reviews
July 6, 2011
If there's one reason to read this book, it's Zhong Ye. Holy crap. What a deep, complex character! You meet him in Silver Phoenix, but you don't *really* meet him until you read Fury. He's incredible, and now my favorite character in the Phoenix world. Of course, there are plenty of other reasons to devour Fury--the romantic tension between Ai Ling and Chen Yong, Silver Phoenix herself, and delicious, delicious food. Continuing all the goodness originally present in Silver Phoenix, and more!
Want to read
July 1, 2010kinda upset by the cover.
June 3, 2011
I absolutely loved Silver Phoenix, so when I heard there was to be a sequel/companion novel, I was ecstatic!
One of the things I loved about Silver Phoenix.... and I know this sounds a little strange... but it was the wonderful descriptions of the food! And on page two when I read about sticky rice, candied yams, dumplings and lotus buns, I knew it was going to be epic!
Fury of the Phoenix is such a different story from it's predecessor. It's still just as beautifully written, but we get to witness a whole other side of Ai Ling and Chen Yong. Two characters that I had not realized I desperately missed!
Ai Ling and Chen Yong make yet another journey in Fury of the Phoenix, but there is another story told that we only glimpsed in the first novel. And that is the one of Zhong Ye. I don't want to get into his character too much because it could certainly spoil the story of Silver Phoenix for those that have not read it. But I will say that my emotions toward him were much different this time around. There isn't as much action in book two, but there is still plenty of unexpected discoveries that are sure to keep you plenty intrigued!
I loved how Pon weaved these two stories together it what seemed like an effortless ease. (Though I'm sure it required some work!) I also love the the exploration into the legends and lore! It's much like the first novel in that way, with the various creatures and the mentions of the The Book of the Dead and The Book of the Divine. Simply fascinating.
One of the things that I had wanted after reading Silver Phoenix was to lean the story of her.... and did I ever. Such a fantastic series! And so beautifully written.
If you've not read this series, I strongly suggest that you pick it up! You won't be disappointed!
One of the things I loved about Silver Phoenix.... and I know this sounds a little strange... but it was the wonderful descriptions of the food! And on page two when I read about sticky rice, candied yams, dumplings and lotus buns, I knew it was going to be epic!
Fury of the Phoenix is such a different story from it's predecessor. It's still just as beautifully written, but we get to witness a whole other side of Ai Ling and Chen Yong. Two characters that I had not realized I desperately missed!
Ai Ling and Chen Yong make yet another journey in Fury of the Phoenix, but there is another story told that we only glimpsed in the first novel. And that is the one of Zhong Ye. I don't want to get into his character too much because it could certainly spoil the story of Silver Phoenix for those that have not read it. But I will say that my emotions toward him were much different this time around. There isn't as much action in book two, but there is still plenty of unexpected discoveries that are sure to keep you plenty intrigued!
I loved how Pon weaved these two stories together it what seemed like an effortless ease. (Though I'm sure it required some work!) I also love the the exploration into the legends and lore! It's much like the first novel in that way, with the various creatures and the mentions of the The Book of the Dead and The Book of the Divine. Simply fascinating.
One of the things that I had wanted after reading Silver Phoenix was to lean the story of her.... and did I ever. Such a fantastic series! And so beautifully written.
If you've not read this series, I strongly suggest that you pick it up! You won't be disappointed!
May 8, 2011
When I first read Silver Phoenix, I didn't think at all about the lack of feminism discussed here. I still enjoyed the book, and even think it's reasonably worth reading, but I do agree with quite a few of the points discussed at that link, on reflection. The thing is, it does lull you into a false sense of security, in a way: the protagonist, Ai Ling, is a young girl who travels alone, takes care of herself, fights for herself... But then you realise just how much she is motivated by her father and her love interest, and how badly that comes off. And if you look at the way other women are treated, and characterised -- eek.
Fury of the Phoenix doesn't really improve on that. I don't expect it improves much on the writing and plotting, either: I felt like significantly less happened. I found the structure awkward, shifting between the villain of the last book and Ai Ling, and telling the story of how He Totally Wasn't Evil Really.
There were aspects I liked: the fact that she loves food, and enjoys it so much, and how easy it was to read -- it was relaxing and pretty fun. But thinking about these two books in too much detail ruined them for me.
I'm still not pleased about the white-washing issue, and I'm glad I bought the books: I enjoyed them when reading them.
Fury of the Phoenix doesn't really improve on that. I don't expect it improves much on the writing and plotting, either: I felt like significantly less happened. I found the structure awkward, shifting between the villain of the last book and Ai Ling, and telling the story of how He Totally Wasn't Evil Really.
There were aspects I liked: the fact that she loves food, and enjoys it so much, and how easy it was to read -- it was relaxing and pretty fun. But thinking about these two books in too much detail ruined them for me.
I'm still not pleased about the white-washing issue, and I'm glad I bought the books: I enjoyed them when reading them.
December 4, 2010
First off, I’d like to say that I highly recommend reading the first book in this series first. I read the second without reading the first and it really took away from the plot by adding confusion and leaving me nonplussed over which parts were intentional or if it was just me.
Fury of the Phoenix, the companion to Silver Phoenix, by Cindy Pon, started off by introducing Ai Ling, the pain protagonist’s “gift” as she “throws” her spirit into another’s to avoid a near-rape-scene, if you could call it that, I wouldn’t even say it progressed enough to be a near-rape. Ai Ling’s resourcefulness is then displayed as she manages to steal away onto a ship that had just left its harbor and the plot starts.
The whole book alternates between Ai Ling’s perspective, the heroine helping her friend search for his father, and Zhong Ye’s perspective, a young eunuch in the Emperor’s palace, trying to claim the emperor’s attention and move up the status ladder.
This book has just about everything, romance via sexual tension, action and adventure as their ship is attacked by sea spirits and another character has to face a centuries old monster, and fantasy as the author beautifully describes the different kingdoms of futile Asia, the valor and sacrifice that come with alchemy, and she interweaves Chinese myths into the story, adding a slightly dark and horrifying tint to the otherwise cheerful tale.
The plot is simple enough on its own, but the author displays a complex vocabulary in all the right places, making the main character seem older than she initially comes off. There’s minor swearing in the story, I can only recall one instance in which the author used a cuss word, but there are several mentionings of women’s chests. There are numerous sexual innuendos throughout the story, some of which coming about when a few characters are naked, when two characters have to share a small bed for several weeks after they’d already been harvesting romantic thoughts, and the mentioning of being an eunuch (men who have been rendered impotent) and how to become one and the angst of wanting to have a lover, but unable to be one. Also the Emperor has two great weaknesses; women and drinks. In his palace there are dozens of concubines, which are basically prostitutes or courtesans reserved for the Emperor’s sexual needs and he’s pretty much drunk all the time. But there’s nothing really graphic or anything, it’s just innuendos and hints. I’d say a mature sixth grader could read it, but I don’t think the average sixth grade parent would be happy to find their child reading this book. The back of the book says ages 14 and up, and I’m going to have to say 14 or 13, but only because the vocabulary is very high-leveled; I didn’t even understand all the words.
The plot was well driven and very meticulously thought out so that all the strings come together at the right time as the main character journeys to the underworld and much confusion is lifted. The characters are all very likeable and when they get hurt you worry, when they’re sad, you’re sad, when they make a mistake and you can tell it won’t end well for them you want to grab them by the shoulders and shake them. All the characters were very relatable and realistic, and I especially liked that Pon gave Ai Ling some ferocity in a time that women were treated as nothing more than servants that helped create an heir. I’m all about strong female characters.
Over all, I gave this book four stars, and am going to read the first book and buy this one when it comes out.
Fury of the Phoenix, the companion to Silver Phoenix, by Cindy Pon, started off by introducing Ai Ling, the pain protagonist’s “gift” as she “throws” her spirit into another’s to avoid a near-rape-scene, if you could call it that, I wouldn’t even say it progressed enough to be a near-rape. Ai Ling’s resourcefulness is then displayed as she manages to steal away onto a ship that had just left its harbor and the plot starts.
The whole book alternates between Ai Ling’s perspective, the heroine helping her friend search for his father, and Zhong Ye’s perspective, a young eunuch in the Emperor’s palace, trying to claim the emperor’s attention and move up the status ladder.
This book has just about everything, romance via sexual tension, action and adventure as their ship is attacked by sea spirits and another character has to face a centuries old monster, and fantasy as the author beautifully describes the different kingdoms of futile Asia, the valor and sacrifice that come with alchemy, and she interweaves Chinese myths into the story, adding a slightly dark and horrifying tint to the otherwise cheerful tale.
The plot is simple enough on its own, but the author displays a complex vocabulary in all the right places, making the main character seem older than she initially comes off. There’s minor swearing in the story, I can only recall one instance in which the author used a cuss word, but there are several mentionings of women’s chests. There are numerous sexual innuendos throughout the story, some of which coming about when a few characters are naked, when two characters have to share a small bed for several weeks after they’d already been harvesting romantic thoughts, and the mentioning of being an eunuch (men who have been rendered impotent) and how to become one and the angst of wanting to have a lover, but unable to be one. Also the Emperor has two great weaknesses; women and drinks. In his palace there are dozens of concubines, which are basically prostitutes or courtesans reserved for the Emperor’s sexual needs and he’s pretty much drunk all the time. But there’s nothing really graphic or anything, it’s just innuendos and hints. I’d say a mature sixth grader could read it, but I don’t think the average sixth grade parent would be happy to find their child reading this book. The back of the book says ages 14 and up, and I’m going to have to say 14 or 13, but only because the vocabulary is very high-leveled; I didn’t even understand all the words.
The plot was well driven and very meticulously thought out so that all the strings come together at the right time as the main character journeys to the underworld and much confusion is lifted. The characters are all very likeable and when they get hurt you worry, when they’re sad, you’re sad, when they make a mistake and you can tell it won’t end well for them you want to grab them by the shoulders and shake them. All the characters were very relatable and realistic, and I especially liked that Pon gave Ai Ling some ferocity in a time that women were treated as nothing more than servants that helped create an heir. I’m all about strong female characters.
Over all, I gave this book four stars, and am going to read the first book and buy this one when it comes out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Shelved as 'dnf'
April 4, 2017I usually don't review books that I don't rate, and I try not to rate books I DNF unless I've read at least half of it or something REALLY noticeable happened in the part I did read.
So I'm not rating this, but I do want to review it.
I was ho-hum about the first book and wasn't sure if I'd even continue the series. I did, obviously, but by this point I've mostly forgotten the first book.
It started off well and I really enjoyed Ai Ling's sections. I quit around 30% for three reasons, one I'm burnt out on reading(just being honest) and at this point if it's not grabbing me I'm not going to spend more time on it. Two, I wasn't hooked. At 30% nothing major had happened and everything was going quite smoothly. I didn't care about what was going on or the characters.
Three, and this was a big thing for me, was the second pov. The first pov is Ai Ling, the FMC in the present. The second pov is hundreds of years in the past and is in the pov of Ai Ling's dead husband who was the antagonist of the last book. Quite frankly the guy creeped me out last book and being stuck watching his origin story was not what I wanted to be doing. I didn't really care how he came to be and I already knew what happened to him.
BUT all of that aside, this is a YA book and I expect a certain standard of cleanliness for most YA. Teens or younger are reading these. I was quite young when I started reading YA. Now, Ai Ling's pov was fine, but the dead antag's pov was most certainly not. It was disgusting. Right off the bat we get way more details into the perverted emperor's life and the antag hunting down another victim for it. I think the back story was supposed to make me feel bad for the antag . . . but it didn't. He lied and tricked his way up the ladder and then used whatever woman he came across to further his own ends.
Ex. She gets pregnant, then miscarries. And this guy tells her maidservant that she's going to have to send her back to the emperor right away. No time to mourn or recover or anything. He's a jerk! And the handmaiden falls in love with him? Cause yeah, he's so awesome. He starts out bad and gets worse.
Basically, I'm writing a review to say, don't hand this to your kids unless you want cockless jokes, talk of sweat and sex being on people, a woman being told to strip and rotate to be assessed for being the next pleasure object, and other references to slapping skin and so on that goes with sex scenes(while the antag listens/watches). Not to mention some crazy rituals where the antag and the person he's helping are murdering people so they can suck their souls and gain a longer life.
So I'm not rating this, but I do want to review it.
I was ho-hum about the first book and wasn't sure if I'd even continue the series. I did, obviously, but by this point I've mostly forgotten the first book.
It started off well and I really enjoyed Ai Ling's sections. I quit around 30% for three reasons, one I'm burnt out on reading(just being honest) and at this point if it's not grabbing me I'm not going to spend more time on it. Two, I wasn't hooked. At 30% nothing major had happened and everything was going quite smoothly. I didn't care about what was going on or the characters.
Three, and this was a big thing for me, was the second pov. The first pov is Ai Ling, the FMC in the present. The second pov is hundreds of years in the past and is in the pov of Ai Ling's dead husband who was the antagonist of the last book. Quite frankly the guy creeped me out last book and being stuck watching his origin story was not what I wanted to be doing. I didn't really care how he came to be and I already knew what happened to him.
BUT all of that aside, this is a YA book and I expect a certain standard of cleanliness for most YA. Teens or younger are reading these. I was quite young when I started reading YA. Now, Ai Ling's pov was fine, but the dead antag's pov was most certainly not. It was disgusting. Right off the bat we get way more details into the perverted emperor's life and the antag hunting down another victim for it. I think the back story was supposed to make me feel bad for the antag . . . but it didn't. He lied and tricked his way up the ladder and then used whatever woman he came across to further his own ends.
Ex. She gets pregnant, then miscarries. And this guy tells her maidservant that she's going to have to send her back to the emperor right away. No time to mourn or recover or anything. He's a jerk! And the handmaiden falls in love with him? Cause yeah, he's so awesome. He starts out bad and gets worse.
Basically, I'm writing a review to say, don't hand this to your kids unless you want cockless jokes, talk of sweat and sex being on people, a woman being told to strip and rotate to be assessed for being the next pleasure object, and other references to slapping skin and so on that goes with sex scenes(while the antag listens/watches). Not to mention some crazy rituals where the antag and the person he's helping are murdering people so they can suck their souls and gain a longer life.
Read
April 3, 2011Fury of the Phoenix is the conclusion to the story begun in Cindy Pon's Silver Phoenix. In that book, sheltered, psychically gifted Ai Ling meets Chen Yong, and falls into adventure as they cross Xia to rescue her father. Their adventures draw on Chinese history and custom and mythology, leading to a powerful climax.
This book creates some nice symmetries, while deepening the story: this time, Chen Yong is in search of his father. Ai Ling joins him on a ship. As the two learn how to deal with ship life, including pirates, and Ai Ling takes lessons in self defense, she is increasingly disturbed by visions . . . of non other than Zhong Ye, who she hated and thought dead. As Ai Ling and Chen Yong get to know one another better, we learn about Zhong Ye's life--what made him the way he was. A shocking bit of news unsettles Ai Ling, precipitating a rapid flow of events that once again leads to a powerful climax.
I love Pon's fantasy China in part because it doesn't feel like a Westernized China, as do so many fantasies that draw on Chinese history or myth. The characters are engaging, and there is this sense of beauty so that reading the book is like watching a masterfully shot movie. The descriptions of the food make me hungry.
The conclusion made me want to reread Silver Phoenix all over again; about the only negative thing I can say (and this has nothing to do with the quality of the book) is that I am disappointed that the publishers saw fit to whitify the cover to a sort of pretty, generic blandness instead of find beautiful Chinese-influenced art. Stained glass windows are an important feature of the book--a cover that evokes the lapidary beauty of stained glass I think would have been a standout.
This book creates some nice symmetries, while deepening the story: this time, Chen Yong is in search of his father. Ai Ling joins him on a ship. As the two learn how to deal with ship life, including pirates, and Ai Ling takes lessons in self defense, she is increasingly disturbed by visions . . . of non other than Zhong Ye, who she hated and thought dead. As Ai Ling and Chen Yong get to know one another better, we learn about Zhong Ye's life--what made him the way he was. A shocking bit of news unsettles Ai Ling, precipitating a rapid flow of events that once again leads to a powerful climax.
I love Pon's fantasy China in part because it doesn't feel like a Westernized China, as do so many fantasies that draw on Chinese history or myth. The characters are engaging, and there is this sense of beauty so that reading the book is like watching a masterfully shot movie. The descriptions of the food make me hungry.
The conclusion made me want to reread Silver Phoenix all over again; about the only negative thing I can say (and this has nothing to do with the quality of the book) is that I am disappointed that the publishers saw fit to whitify the cover to a sort of pretty, generic blandness instead of find beautiful Chinese-influenced art. Stained glass windows are an important feature of the book--a cover that evokes the lapidary beauty of stained glass I think would have been a standout.
December 23, 2010
Loved it! Review coming soon!
July 2, 2011
Silver Phoenix caught me with its beauty and adventure and this book was pretty much as good as the first, cementing this as one of the most magical series I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. The story was interesting and engaging and of course I adore the characters. I wasn’t sure I’d like this series when I began reading it, but Cindy Pon has created a lush, magic world, one that I’ve enjoyed getting lost in every second of the journey. This world is stunning and mythical and the characters are wonderful. It’s well written and descriptive and Pon captures the scene perfectly.
Ai Ling has been a fantastic heroine. She’s strong and brave, with vulnerabilities and issues just like everyone else. I love that she goes against most typical notions for her world and people and that she isn’t afraid to push boundaries and do things that would typically get her into trouble if she was caught. It’s been brilliant getting to be with Ai Ling again on her journey. This book was exciting from the very beginning and I was eager to see what she would get up to next. And whether she and Chen Yong would finally be together!
I love Chen Yong. Have from the very first time we met him in the first book. He’s refined and subtle, but oh, he’s sexy too. I think it’s that quite type, that one who keeps things to himself that appeals to me. Oh, and the adorable way in which he cares for Ai Ling and takes care of her.
These two characters are excellent, and when they’re together the story has just that little extra spark to it. All the scenes where they’re together are brilliant and I loved the way in which they slowly and gradually fell for one another over the course of these two books. It felt real and believable and was so incredibly sweet. I mean, you knew it was going to happen, and you could see it happening over time, but that didn't take away the thrill when it eventually all came out.
I have mixed emotions about how this book was set out to be honest. The different stories, one with Ai Ling in the current time and Zhong Ye 300 years before, surprised me at first. I didn’t expect it and there are things I both loved and hated about it. I actually was surprised by the person Zhong Ye used to be. From having known him in the first book, it was almost like he was a completely different person. The way he acted and his personality was nothing like what it was in Silver Phoenix. Plus, the relationship he shared with Silver Phoenix was nothing like what I came to believe in the first book. Theirs was actually a really sweet, very tender romance....until it was all destroyed in the end. Granted I do kinda understand why he became so twisted and angry and it does make me understand his motives and reasons a bit more, but now I just feel sad for him.
That being said, I also felt kinda cheated with his parts being in the book. Obviously I’m not reading the book just because of Ai Ling and Chen Yong, but I would have liked to see more of them. We still got a great tale, with plenty of action with them, but Zhong Ye took away book space which could have featured them and their story. I wasn’t bored by his parts, but I admit I wasn’t quite as interested as I was with the rest of the book and I kept waiting to get back to Ai Ling and Chen Yong. Still, it was woven together beautifully and it finally allowed us to learn more about Silver Phoenix.
I was so pleased with the ending of this book. There were plenty of, “awww,” moments and I must say I’m thrilled to see Ai Ling and Chen Yong get their happily ever after.
Both these books have been a joy to read. They’ve been action packed and fun, yet sad and emotional at times too and I can’t be happier with how things have ended. The two main characters I’ve come to love in this series have found happiness with each other and discovered themselves and everything they wanted to throughout this series. I’m a little sad to let them go and the series to end up it’s been a fantastic ride and I’ve loved every moment of it!
Ai Ling has been a fantastic heroine. She’s strong and brave, with vulnerabilities and issues just like everyone else. I love that she goes against most typical notions for her world and people and that she isn’t afraid to push boundaries and do things that would typically get her into trouble if she was caught. It’s been brilliant getting to be with Ai Ling again on her journey. This book was exciting from the very beginning and I was eager to see what she would get up to next. And whether she and Chen Yong would finally be together!
I love Chen Yong. Have from the very first time we met him in the first book. He’s refined and subtle, but oh, he’s sexy too. I think it’s that quite type, that one who keeps things to himself that appeals to me. Oh, and the adorable way in which he cares for Ai Ling and takes care of her.
These two characters are excellent, and when they’re together the story has just that little extra spark to it. All the scenes where they’re together are brilliant and I loved the way in which they slowly and gradually fell for one another over the course of these two books. It felt real and believable and was so incredibly sweet. I mean, you knew it was going to happen, and you could see it happening over time, but that didn't take away the thrill when it eventually all came out.
I have mixed emotions about how this book was set out to be honest. The different stories, one with Ai Ling in the current time and Zhong Ye 300 years before, surprised me at first. I didn’t expect it and there are things I both loved and hated about it. I actually was surprised by the person Zhong Ye used to be. From having known him in the first book, it was almost like he was a completely different person. The way he acted and his personality was nothing like what it was in Silver Phoenix. Plus, the relationship he shared with Silver Phoenix was nothing like what I came to believe in the first book. Theirs was actually a really sweet, very tender romance....until it was all destroyed in the end. Granted I do kinda understand why he became so twisted and angry and it does make me understand his motives and reasons a bit more, but now I just feel sad for him.
That being said, I also felt kinda cheated with his parts being in the book. Obviously I’m not reading the book just because of Ai Ling and Chen Yong, but I would have liked to see more of them. We still got a great tale, with plenty of action with them, but Zhong Ye took away book space which could have featured them and their story. I wasn’t bored by his parts, but I admit I wasn’t quite as interested as I was with the rest of the book and I kept waiting to get back to Ai Ling and Chen Yong. Still, it was woven together beautifully and it finally allowed us to learn more about Silver Phoenix.
I was so pleased with the ending of this book. There were plenty of, “awww,” moments and I must say I’m thrilled to see Ai Ling and Chen Yong get their happily ever after.
Both these books have been a joy to read. They’ve been action packed and fun, yet sad and emotional at times too and I can’t be happier with how things have ended. The two main characters I’ve come to love in this series have found happiness with each other and discovered themselves and everything they wanted to throughout this series. I’m a little sad to let them go and the series to end up it’s been a fantastic ride and I’ve loved every moment of it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 13, 2016
I find it simply amazing how love can be the root of many evil and despicable acts. Because Zhong Ye fell in love with Silver Phoenix, events were set into motion that would take centuries to truly be resolved.
While this book was filled with far less mythology than the first, it was no less magical or awe-inspiring. Pon examines both the present (Ai Ling and Chen Yong's journey to Jiang Dao to find his birth father) and the past (Zhong Ye's courtship of Silver Phoenix and what began his obsession with immortality), interweaving the two storylines throughout almost in a parallel path to that of Ai Ling and Chen Yong's.
The Zhong Ye we see in the past is both very different from the man we saw in Silver Phoenix, but very much the same. The same determination he showed in tracking down Ai Ling and forcing her into a corner is shown in his carefully calculated movements up the treacherous political structure of the Palace. This is a man who understands (and often exploits) signs of human frailty. A man who sacrifices much in order to attain a position of respect and power. He is not however the Zhong Ye that terrified and repulsed Ai Ling, the one who forced her into a marriage and sent demons after her in order to ensure she would become his.
Putting aside Chen Yong's quest to find his birth father, which felt almost tacked on, the growth in emotions and maturity that Ai Ling and Chen Yong undertook during their two month long journey to Jiang Dao, and later in Jiang Dao, was far more intriguing. We're told about the fact they hadn't seen each other in a while, hadn't truly communicated except from the letters Chen Yong sent to Ai Ling (who only responded once).
The gulf between them is more than just a loss of comfort or camaraderie, its tainted with guilt and regret and a feeling of loss. Neither fully understands what the other is feeling (Ai Ling could, if touched upon his spirit, but she refused to do such an invasion again), or what they went through. Chen Yong doesn't know the whole truth about what transpired on Ai Ling's 'wedding night' nor what Ai Ling was ready to do to bring Li Rong back and Ai Ling doesn't understand the feeling of obligation that Chen Yong foists upon himself.
I said that that the search for Chen Yong's birth father felt tacked on only because it lacked any real...urgency or zip. Between Ai Ling's growing powers and fears, Zhong Ye's history and the emotional turbulence of Ai Ling and Chen Yong...the search felt almost superfluous. A necessary plot device that also served to tie up many loose ends. It progressed pretty predictably and even the minor hiccup that Ai Ling uncovers is really nothing unusual when you think about who's involved. It was too neat.
Whether this was intentional or not I felt that the Ai Ling/Chen Yong relationship followed a similar path to Silver Phoenix/Zhong Ye's. It almost felt like Ai Ling/Chen Yong were making the same mistakes. Its difficult to put to words honestly because while the actions were vastly different, the motivations felt the same. Ai Ling wanted a life and future with Chen Yong just as Zhong Ye wanted one with Silver Phoenix. The only difference was where Zhong Ye lost his moral center (Silver Phoenix), Ai Ling had hers in her Chen Yong and because they believed in each other, they were stronger for it.
Once again the ending, minus the wrap-up with Chen Yong's birth father, fit perfectly. Despite everything else Chen Yong and Ai Ling suit one and other perfectly. They understand one and other, their weaknesses and strengths. That to me was the most endearing trait both books shared.
While this book was filled with far less mythology than the first, it was no less magical or awe-inspiring. Pon examines both the present (Ai Ling and Chen Yong's journey to Jiang Dao to find his birth father) and the past (Zhong Ye's courtship of Silver Phoenix and what began his obsession with immortality), interweaving the two storylines throughout almost in a parallel path to that of Ai Ling and Chen Yong's.
The Zhong Ye we see in the past is both very different from the man we saw in Silver Phoenix, but very much the same. The same determination he showed in tracking down Ai Ling and forcing her into a corner is shown in his carefully calculated movements up the treacherous political structure of the Palace. This is a man who understands (and often exploits) signs of human frailty. A man who sacrifices much in order to attain a position of respect and power. He is not however the Zhong Ye that terrified and repulsed Ai Ling, the one who forced her into a marriage and sent demons after her in order to ensure she would become his.
Putting aside Chen Yong's quest to find his birth father, which felt almost tacked on, the growth in emotions and maturity that Ai Ling and Chen Yong undertook during their two month long journey to Jiang Dao, and later in Jiang Dao, was far more intriguing. We're told about the fact they hadn't seen each other in a while, hadn't truly communicated except from the letters Chen Yong sent to Ai Ling (who only responded once).
The gulf between them is more than just a loss of comfort or camaraderie, its tainted with guilt and regret and a feeling of loss. Neither fully understands what the other is feeling (Ai Ling could, if touched upon his spirit, but she refused to do such an invasion again), or what they went through. Chen Yong doesn't know the whole truth about what transpired on Ai Ling's 'wedding night' nor what Ai Ling was ready to do to bring Li Rong back and Ai Ling doesn't understand the feeling of obligation that Chen Yong foists upon himself.
I said that that the search for Chen Yong's birth father felt tacked on only because it lacked any real...urgency or zip. Between Ai Ling's growing powers and fears, Zhong Ye's history and the emotional turbulence of Ai Ling and Chen Yong...the search felt almost superfluous. A necessary plot device that also served to tie up many loose ends. It progressed pretty predictably and even the minor hiccup that Ai Ling uncovers is really nothing unusual when you think about who's involved. It was too neat.
Whether this was intentional or not I felt that the Ai Ling/Chen Yong relationship followed a similar path to Silver Phoenix/Zhong Ye's. It almost felt like Ai Ling/Chen Yong were making the same mistakes. Its difficult to put to words honestly because while the actions were vastly different, the motivations felt the same. Ai Ling wanted a life and future with Chen Yong just as Zhong Ye wanted one with Silver Phoenix. The only difference was where Zhong Ye lost his moral center (Silver Phoenix), Ai Ling had hers in her Chen Yong and because they believed in each other, they were stronger for it.
Once again the ending, minus the wrap-up with Chen Yong's birth father, fit perfectly. Despite everything else Chen Yong and Ai Ling suit one and other perfectly. They understand one and other, their weaknesses and strengths. That to me was the most endearing trait both books shared.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2011
There's less action in this book but still plenty of excitement leaping off the pages! Everything is described in meticulous detail from the food, clothes, Jiang Dao, the ship, and of course, the mythical creatures that terrorize Ai Ling and Chen Yong. While I was both delighted and disturbed by the new creatures and fantasy elements we were introduced to (the Sea Shifters, learning more about reincarnation, etc) I was even more pleased by the character development. You all remember Zhong Ye, the villain from Silver Phoenix right? He was evil, eviillllll! Well not quite. I didn't think Cindy Pon could make me care about him, but to my complete astonishment (and I'm not exaggerating) Zhong Ye's story tugged at my heartstrings. While he starts off ambitious, he wasn't always power mad and there's a lot of talk about the sacrifices made by an eunuch. In a way the process of being an eunuch is like genital mutilation and rarely does anyone voluntarily go through that. So to think that Zhong Ye willing gave up such a delicate body part. *winces* I still don't like him but I understand how he was driven to do what he did in the previous book.
And for those who like some romance with their fantasy, be prepared because there is a A LOT of sexual tension and it's intense, smoldering. I was equally annoyed, happy, or heartbroken because of Ai Ling and Chen Yong not being able to pull themselves together. Everyone else can see that they need each other, they complement each other perfectly. Why can't they??? There's lots of teasing, stolen glances, misunderstanding and awkward moments (awkward for the characters, not the reader ;) There is also the romance between Zhong Ye and Silver Phoenix and it actually borders on sweet, again, the author makes you start to care about Zhong Ye. There are a few new characters introduced in this book and they move the plot along, adding significant intrigue. The afterlife is explored and I don't want to give much away but it's absolutely spellbinding and I wanted to stay in that afterworld for a little longer, to learn more about how it works (the Mirror of Retribution!)
Fury of the Phoenix is a seducing, irresistible tale. I loved this book even more than the first. The worldbuilding is just as wonderful as in the first, but we also get to see further character development and while in the first book I wanted more character interaction I felt thoroughly satisfied in this sequel. At first I was sad to leave the action-packed world of Xia behind, but it was a nice change of pace to slow down and really observe (and smile knowingly) at Ai Ling and Chen Yong's relationship. Life in Jiang Dao seemed slower in general and while Xia reminds me a bit of China (says the girl whose never been), Jiang Dao reminded me more of a Western European country (loosely based of course). The ending was satisfactory, although I did think that a certain relationship was a bit too perfect (not between Ai Ling and Chen Yong but another significant relationship). A discerning attention to detail, smooth transitions from present to past, fabulous wordbuilding and great, fully-realized characters.
Best line: "I would fast for you Chen Yong." *dies*
And for those who like some romance with their fantasy, be prepared because there is a A LOT of sexual tension and it's intense, smoldering. I was equally annoyed, happy, or heartbroken because of Ai Ling and Chen Yong not being able to pull themselves together. Everyone else can see that they need each other, they complement each other perfectly. Why can't they??? There's lots of teasing, stolen glances, misunderstanding and awkward moments (awkward for the characters, not the reader ;) There is also the romance between Zhong Ye and Silver Phoenix and it actually borders on sweet, again, the author makes you start to care about Zhong Ye. There are a few new characters introduced in this book and they move the plot along, adding significant intrigue. The afterlife is explored and I don't want to give much away but it's absolutely spellbinding and I wanted to stay in that afterworld for a little longer, to learn more about how it works (the Mirror of Retribution!)
Fury of the Phoenix is a seducing, irresistible tale. I loved this book even more than the first. The worldbuilding is just as wonderful as in the first, but we also get to see further character development and while in the first book I wanted more character interaction I felt thoroughly satisfied in this sequel. At first I was sad to leave the action-packed world of Xia behind, but it was a nice change of pace to slow down and really observe (and smile knowingly) at Ai Ling and Chen Yong's relationship. Life in Jiang Dao seemed slower in general and while Xia reminds me a bit of China (says the girl whose never been), Jiang Dao reminded me more of a Western European country (loosely based of course). The ending was satisfactory, although I did think that a certain relationship was a bit too perfect (not between Ai Ling and Chen Yong but another significant relationship). A discerning attention to detail, smooth transitions from present to past, fabulous wordbuilding and great, fully-realized characters.
Best line: "I would fast for you Chen Yong." *dies*
April 8, 2011
For me, this book suffered from several things.
The biggest problem was that half the story was about Zhong Ye, who was evil, or at least severely twisted, and died in the last book. His story in this book is about how he got that way. And it wasn't really something I cared about. It's the kind of story that we can guess, and that we don't gain much by knowing.
The other half of the story was dedicated to Ai Ling's feelings for Chen Yong, which haven't exactly changed since the last book. This made it feel as if her character arc wasn't really going anywhere. There was the additional problem of Zhong Ye semi-possessing her, and her temptation to use her power for bad purposes, but neither of these arcs were very compelling. Perhaps if we weren't getting Zhong Ye's backstory at the same time, I'd have been more interested, but the backstory was all about how he didn't start out evil and twisted, and that made me less concerned about what a semi-possessed Ai Ling was going to do.
What I did like about this book, was that one of the plot lines was motivated by a plot hole in Silver Phoenix, which I hadn't even noticed, making it not a plot hole at all but rather a clue that I had missed. I love it when that happens! But it wasn't quite enough. I think I would have preferred a short story to cover this arc, and to tie up the Ai Ling's feelings arc. Zhong Ye's story could be dropped.
And now I'm going to talk about the ending, so don't read if you don't want to be spoiled.
I felt cheated. If part of the character arc for Ai Ling was the temptation to use her powers when she shouldn't, then having her power mysteriously vanish let's her the hook. Did she even learn her lesson? It was good when Chen Yong got mad at her for abusing her power. That was compelling. That it could so easily be blamed on Zhong Ye and then disappear entirely feels like a let down. And maybe I was reading too quickly, but I didn't see any justification for that. Did she burn herself out? Why would we have even thought that was a possibility? It can't be because Zhong Ye and herself are no longer tied, because she had it before she ever met him. It can't be because Silver phoenix left her, because if that's true, then I don't understand how reincarnation works, because that doesn't seem possible, and plus, the goddess had told her that she had her own power, so it couldn't have been due to Silver Phoenix. Also, minor rant - Silver Phoenix the character was boring.And so was Zhong Ye. Together, they were even less interesting, despite the fact that ambitious eunuch and former whore should have been VERY interesting.
All in all, I kind of wish I had stopped after Silver Phoenix. I think I prefer that open-ended conclusion to the way things happened here. This book was just....boring and predictable I guess, which is too bad, because I really liked Silver Phoenix.
The biggest problem was that half the story was about Zhong Ye, who was evil, or at least severely twisted, and died in the last book. His story in this book is about how he got that way. And it wasn't really something I cared about. It's the kind of story that we can guess, and that we don't gain much by knowing.
The other half of the story was dedicated to Ai Ling's feelings for Chen Yong, which haven't exactly changed since the last book. This made it feel as if her character arc wasn't really going anywhere. There was the additional problem of Zhong Ye semi-possessing her, and her temptation to use her power for bad purposes, but neither of these arcs were very compelling. Perhaps if we weren't getting Zhong Ye's backstory at the same time, I'd have been more interested, but the backstory was all about how he didn't start out evil and twisted, and that made me less concerned about what a semi-possessed Ai Ling was going to do.
What I did like about this book, was that one of the plot lines was motivated by a plot hole in Silver Phoenix, which I hadn't even noticed, making it not a plot hole at all but rather a clue that I had missed. I love it when that happens! But it wasn't quite enough. I think I would have preferred a short story to cover this arc, and to tie up the Ai Ling's feelings arc. Zhong Ye's story could be dropped.
And now I'm going to talk about the ending, so don't read if you don't want to be spoiled.
I felt cheated. If part of the character arc for Ai Ling was the temptation to use her powers when she shouldn't, then having her power mysteriously vanish let's her the hook. Did she even learn her lesson? It was good when Chen Yong got mad at her for abusing her power. That was compelling. That it could so easily be blamed on Zhong Ye and then disappear entirely feels like a let down. And maybe I was reading too quickly, but I didn't see any justification for that. Did she burn herself out? Why would we have even thought that was a possibility? It can't be because Zhong Ye and herself are no longer tied, because she had it before she ever met him. It can't be because Silver phoenix left her, because if that's true, then I don't understand how reincarnation works, because that doesn't seem possible, and plus, the goddess had told her that she had her own power, so it couldn't have been due to Silver Phoenix. Also, minor rant - Silver Phoenix the character was boring.And so was Zhong Ye. Together, they were even less interesting, despite the fact that ambitious eunuch and former whore should have been VERY interesting.
All in all, I kind of wish I had stopped after Silver Phoenix. I think I prefer that open-ended conclusion to the way things happened here. This book was just....boring and predictable I guess, which is too bad, because I really liked Silver Phoenix.
August 2, 2015
'Fury of the Phoenix' is the second book in the 'Kingdom of Xia' books. It's incredible. I loved it more than the first one...if that's possible? lol. It was engaging in multiple ways and it never left me feeling....unsatisfied! 'Fury of the Phoenix' is completely captivating and it's an immaculate companion novel to 'Silver Phoenix.' I was compelled to read page after page! I always wanted to know what was going to happen next. Since I'm reviewing an ARC copy that I was fortunate enough to win (thank you Harper Teen!) and it's not released until March 29th, 2011-based on what Cindy's website says-I won't be including any quotes or giving away TOO much information. Which pains me because I want to tell you all everything!
'Fury of the Phoenix' basically picks up where 'Silver Phoenix' left off. There is a small time frame that is skipped over but I get the feeling nothing too exciting happened. And, anything that did, we are filled in on! Again, this story is (mostly) told through Ai Ling as she starts out on a new journey/adventure. I do have to say, that through 'Silver Phoenix' and 'Fury of the Phoenix' we always get to read about Ai Ling's overzealous love of food. Which is not a bad thing! It gives a little humor to the story through the sad parts. It just cracks me up that through all the turmoil and trauma, if she smells food, she's like a basset hound and can sniff it out. And man can she eat! lol. I love that about her! : )
In 'Fury of the Phoenix' we get to learn a great deal more about Silver Phoenix. I was super excited about it! I know that that's one thing that a lot of people were wanting so, you'll be super happy with 'Fury of the Phoenix.' Not only do we get to learn about Silver Phoenix BUT we also get to learn about Zhong Ye. There is a lot of in-depth information and stuff we get to read about. Particularly, how Zhong Ye went from being some nobody, farmer's son to the emperor's most trusted advisor. And, how Silver Phoenix gets thrown into all of it.
So, I don't want to give away too much. But, I do want to say that, for those of you who liked or loved 'Silver Phoenix' you will LOVE 'Fury of the Phoenix.' It's amazing! And, I really hope that Cindy is going to continue to write YA novels and that we will see more from her in the future. I love the way she writes!
'Fury of the Phoenix' basically picks up where 'Silver Phoenix' left off. There is a small time frame that is skipped over but I get the feeling nothing too exciting happened. And, anything that did, we are filled in on! Again, this story is (mostly) told through Ai Ling as she starts out on a new journey/adventure. I do have to say, that through 'Silver Phoenix' and 'Fury of the Phoenix' we always get to read about Ai Ling's overzealous love of food. Which is not a bad thing! It gives a little humor to the story through the sad parts. It just cracks me up that through all the turmoil and trauma, if she smells food, she's like a basset hound and can sniff it out. And man can she eat! lol. I love that about her! : )
In 'Fury of the Phoenix' we get to learn a great deal more about Silver Phoenix. I was super excited about it! I know that that's one thing that a lot of people were wanting so, you'll be super happy with 'Fury of the Phoenix.' Not only do we get to learn about Silver Phoenix BUT we also get to learn about Zhong Ye. There is a lot of in-depth information and stuff we get to read about. Particularly, how Zhong Ye went from being some nobody, farmer's son to the emperor's most trusted advisor. And, how Silver Phoenix gets thrown into all of it.
So, I don't want to give away too much. But, I do want to say that, for those of you who liked or loved 'Silver Phoenix' you will LOVE 'Fury of the Phoenix.' It's amazing! And, I really hope that Cindy is going to continue to write YA novels and that we will see more from her in the future. I love the way she writes!
April 7, 2011
Reviewed by Cat for TeensReadToo.com
I must confess: I *loved* Cindy Pon's 2009 debut YA novel SILVER PHOENIX. So when she graciously offered a review copy of the sequel, FURY OF THE PHOENIX, I (literally) started bouncing up and down with glee.
As with the first novel, the heroine, Ai Ling, is again embarking on a treacherous journey. Whereas she was previously fleeing an unwanted engagement in search of her missing father, this time Ai Ling is on a mission of protection. She has been warned in a dream that the young man she loves, Chen Yong, will not survive the trip to his father's homeland without her.
Although she manages sneak aboard the Gliding Dragon after its departure, she is quickly discovered by the ship's captain and presented to Chen Yong after claiming to be his sister. Though Chen Yong confirms Ai Ling's story, he's clearly not happy to see her - and soon informs Ai Ling of his betrothal to another girl. Despite the pain of this heartbreak, Ai Ling is determined to keep Chen Yong safe.
Interspersed with the narrative of Ai Ling and Chen Yong's voyage is the story of a young eunuch in the Emperor's palace. As we follow two star-crossed lovers across the ocean, we also follow this character's rise to a position of unmatched power as he transforms from an ambitious, cunning, flawed, but loving individual into the terrifying monster Ai Ling faced in SILVER PHOENIX: Zhong Ye.
I had no idea how much I missed Ai Ling, her story, and the sumptuous beauty of Cindy Pon's writing until I picked up FURY OF THE PHOENIX. Ms. Pon takes us into completely unexplored territory, both literally (with Ai Ling leaving Xia to explore Jiang) and figuratively (as we mine the history and circumstances that shaped Zhong Ye's villainy).
FURY OF THE PHOENIX is a perfect example of a sequel at its best: diving further beneath the surface of characters we love, an expansion and enrichment of the established world, and a brand new, engrossing story, satisfying not just in and of itself, but also one that enhances the series as a whole. Ms. Pon didn't just match my hopes with FURY OF THE PHOENIX, she exceeded far beyond anything I ever could have imagined.
This one's headed right for the keeper shelf, just like its predecessor.
I must confess: I *loved* Cindy Pon's 2009 debut YA novel SILVER PHOENIX. So when she graciously offered a review copy of the sequel, FURY OF THE PHOENIX, I (literally) started bouncing up and down with glee.
As with the first novel, the heroine, Ai Ling, is again embarking on a treacherous journey. Whereas she was previously fleeing an unwanted engagement in search of her missing father, this time Ai Ling is on a mission of protection. She has been warned in a dream that the young man she loves, Chen Yong, will not survive the trip to his father's homeland without her.
Although she manages sneak aboard the Gliding Dragon after its departure, she is quickly discovered by the ship's captain and presented to Chen Yong after claiming to be his sister. Though Chen Yong confirms Ai Ling's story, he's clearly not happy to see her - and soon informs Ai Ling of his betrothal to another girl. Despite the pain of this heartbreak, Ai Ling is determined to keep Chen Yong safe.
Interspersed with the narrative of Ai Ling and Chen Yong's voyage is the story of a young eunuch in the Emperor's palace. As we follow two star-crossed lovers across the ocean, we also follow this character's rise to a position of unmatched power as he transforms from an ambitious, cunning, flawed, but loving individual into the terrifying monster Ai Ling faced in SILVER PHOENIX: Zhong Ye.
I had no idea how much I missed Ai Ling, her story, and the sumptuous beauty of Cindy Pon's writing until I picked up FURY OF THE PHOENIX. Ms. Pon takes us into completely unexplored territory, both literally (with Ai Ling leaving Xia to explore Jiang) and figuratively (as we mine the history and circumstances that shaped Zhong Ye's villainy).
FURY OF THE PHOENIX is a perfect example of a sequel at its best: diving further beneath the surface of characters we love, an expansion and enrichment of the established world, and a brand new, engrossing story, satisfying not just in and of itself, but also one that enhances the series as a whole. Ms. Pon didn't just match my hopes with FURY OF THE PHOENIX, she exceeded far beyond anything I ever could have imagined.
This one's headed right for the keeper shelf, just like its predecessor.
June 12, 2019
This was an improvement over the first book, in that it did not have a full third of the chapters starting with Ai Ling waking up, and it doesn't have the inexplicable plot threads that were just strange.
However, this was really, really weak. I can't see why, if you even enjoyed the first, why you'd like this unless you like retconning characters to make attempted rape okay!
Yes, it turns out that the Big Bad of the first book, Zhong Ye? It's okay, because he really did love Silver Phoenix! Don't you feel sorry for him now?
Really. Half the book takes place in the past so we learn the story of Zhong Ye and Silver Phoenix (still no explanation for the inexplicable English name!). He's still creepy, and no, it doesn't excuse attempted rape. Of which there was more in this book. And, of course, it wasn't their fault.
Interpersonal relationships are stupidly conducted, characterization is forced, and overall just not good. And the ending? So. Freaking. Anticlimactic.
Do yourself a favor, and skip this book. If you only want to pick it up because you want to find out what happens to Chen Yong and Ai Ling, a gift to you:
I have no idea how this could possibly get a higher average rating than the first one, unless most people had the sense not to continue on unless they really enjoyed the first one. If you did, then it won't be *as* big of a disappointment.
However, this was really, really weak. I can't see why, if you even enjoyed the first, why you'd like this unless you like retconning characters to make attempted rape okay!
Yes, it turns out that the Big Bad of the first book, Zhong Ye? It's okay, because he really did love Silver Phoenix! Don't you feel sorry for him now?
Really. Half the book takes place in the past so we learn the story of Zhong Ye and Silver Phoenix (still no explanation for the inexplicable English name!). He's still creepy, and no, it doesn't excuse attempted rape. Of which there was more in this book. And, of course, it wasn't their fault.
Interpersonal relationships are stupidly conducted, characterization is forced, and overall just not good. And the ending? So. Freaking. Anticlimactic.
Do yourself a favor, and skip this book. If you only want to pick it up because you want to find out what happens to Chen Yong and Ai Ling, a gift to you:
I have no idea how this could possibly get a higher average rating than the first one, unless most people had the sense not to continue on unless they really enjoyed the first one. If you did, then it won't be *as* big of a disappointment.
January 23, 2011
Fury of the Phoenix is told from the perspective of Ai Ling in the present and Zhong Ye in the past. This gives it a slightly different pacing from Silver Phoenix, which was more action packed with one danger following another. While there is still plenty of adventure here, the slower pace allows us to observe Ai Ling's struggles with past decisions, her worries over Chen Yong's safety and their relationship, and the worries she has over her own new abilities and memories. We also see Zhong Ye and Silver Phoenix in a new light as we discover their story through Zhong Ye's eyes. It gave his character more depth and helped me understand the events in Silver Phoenix more.
The one thing that disappointed me a little was the conclusion of the journey. It was all too easy for Chen Yong to find his father and he seemed to quick to forgive his abandonment. There is a great amount of detail about Xia and we are given a full picture of Ai Ling's world but the same cannot be said for Jiang Dao, the homeland of Chen Yong's father. I also didn't care for the two new characters introduced at that point. Thankfully, Ai Ling and Zhong Ye's story became the main focus again and I enjoyed the conclusion of their story. Overall I thought this was an excellent sequel. Ai Ling is a fantastic heroine and I will miss reading about her. I would suggest this series to fans of the Eon series by Alison Goodman.
Readalikes: Eon by Alison Goodman, Gateway by Sharon Shinn, Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey, the Glass series by Maria V. Snyder, Zoe Marriott
The one thing that disappointed me a little was the conclusion of the journey. It was all too easy for Chen Yong to find his father and he seemed to quick to forgive his abandonment. There is a great amount of detail about Xia and we are given a full picture of Ai Ling's world but the same cannot be said for Jiang Dao, the homeland of Chen Yong's father. I also didn't care for the two new characters introduced at that point. Thankfully, Ai Ling and Zhong Ye's story became the main focus again and I enjoyed the conclusion of their story. Overall I thought this was an excellent sequel. Ai Ling is a fantastic heroine and I will miss reading about her. I would suggest this series to fans of the Eon series by Alison Goodman.
Readalikes: Eon by Alison Goodman, Gateway by Sharon Shinn, Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey, the Glass series by Maria V. Snyder, Zoe Marriott
October 20, 2011
Well, I have the fury of a phoenix right now (How furious do phoenix's get? Because that one in Harry Potter seemed very kind and helpful and really into saving people's lives and not so much into fury. So I don't have the fury of that phoenix. I have the fury of a meaner phoenix.) because I read the book before this and totally disliked it and I specifically mentioned in that review that I would not be reading this book. So now I’ve been humbled because I did read it after making that public statement and I’m irritated that I already knew I wouldn’t like this and yet that fact slipped through my brain and I wasted time I could’ve spent reading something better.
So, Ai Ling stows away on a boat posing as Chen Yong’s sister. Her powers have only grown stronger, which is a good thing as she will have to face Zhong Ye again to save Chen Yong. This story was interwoven with the story of Zhong Ye’s quest for immortality which caused me some confusion at first. If you had questions after the first book, some of those get answered in this one. And Ai Ling and Chen Yong’s story progresses satisfactorily.
I would tell you that I will not be reading a third book if there ends up being one, but apparently, I can no longer rely on myself to guarantee that.
And if you're curious about the book prior to this that I mention above, find that here: Silver Phoenix
So, Ai Ling stows away on a boat posing as Chen Yong’s sister. Her powers have only grown stronger, which is a good thing as she will have to face Zhong Ye again to save Chen Yong. This story was interwoven with the story of Zhong Ye’s quest for immortality which caused me some confusion at first. If you had questions after the first book, some of those get answered in this one. And Ai Ling and Chen Yong’s story progresses satisfactorily.
I would tell you that I will not be reading a third book if there ends up being one, but apparently, I can no longer rely on myself to guarantee that.
And if you're curious about the book prior to this that I mention above, find that here: Silver Phoenix
March 3, 2015
"Fury of the Pheonix" is a much more mature and well written sequel to the "Silver Pheonix". When we left her last, Ai Ling watched Chen Yong off on his journey to meet his birth father,the former diplomat to Xian. Later, she is warned in a dream that she must rush to protect Chen Yong, who will not survive the journey without her.
Sneaking aboard his ship, Ai Ling makes herself a part of the crew posing as Chen Yong's sister. Battling demons and sleeping in cramped quarters tucked close together, she cherished their days together knowing that the now-bethrothed Chen Yong can never be hers. Flawlessly interwoven with their perilous journey across the sea, is the doomed romance of Zhong Ye and Silver Pheonix. We follow his rise from a lowly latrine servant to a young advisor to the Emperor, navigating trecherous court intrigue, wooing and failing to hold onto the enchanting Silver Pheonix.
As we have a first hand look into the tragedy that transformed the young courtier Zhong Ye into the cunning and cruel villian he is, Ai Ling and Chen Yong discover he is not yet gone. His final surprise attack and Ai Ling's desperate fight to protect Chen Yong forms a thrilling conclusion to the series. Ms. Pon has far exceeded my expectations in this concluding book- she not only expands the brilliant world she has created, but enhances the existing storyline, making all the characters and their motivations, however misguided and flawed, real.
I'm really glad I read the author's debut offering.
Sneaking aboard his ship, Ai Ling makes herself a part of the crew posing as Chen Yong's sister. Battling demons and sleeping in cramped quarters tucked close together, she cherished their days together knowing that the now-bethrothed Chen Yong can never be hers. Flawlessly interwoven with their perilous journey across the sea, is the doomed romance of Zhong Ye and Silver Pheonix. We follow his rise from a lowly latrine servant to a young advisor to the Emperor, navigating trecherous court intrigue, wooing and failing to hold onto the enchanting Silver Pheonix.
As we have a first hand look into the tragedy that transformed the young courtier Zhong Ye into the cunning and cruel villian he is, Ai Ling and Chen Yong discover he is not yet gone. His final surprise attack and Ai Ling's desperate fight to protect Chen Yong forms a thrilling conclusion to the series. Ms. Pon has far exceeded my expectations in this concluding book- she not only expands the brilliant world she has created, but enhances the existing storyline, making all the characters and their motivations, however misguided and flawed, real.
I'm really glad I read the author's debut offering.
December 30, 2010
Since finishing Silver Phoenix, I have been wanting to read the sequel. I wanted to be back in the world that Cindy Pon had created and to be back with Ai Ling and Chen Yong. I am not sure what I was fully expecting with the sequel but it wasn't where Pon went. I'm not stating that negatively at all. Rather, I loved where she went. It wasn't predictable and she added an additional layer to the story that I really found intriguing. Throughout the story, I kept trying to figure out how she was going to pull it all together and do so in a way that would be satisfying. And guess what...she did pull the whole story together and I loved the ending.
Fury of the Phoenix kicks off with Ai Ling attempting to get onto a ship without anyone knowing in order to save Chen Yong's life (no spoilers...all told in the first chapter). Though the action is significantly different in this story, as is the journey, I found myself loving the back history that is revealed and how the past and present provide a mystery & love story that sucks the reader in. (Note: I have a huge fictional crush on Chen Yong. Gosh he is yummy!)
I want to say more but I don't want to spoil this especially since the book won't be out for another 3 to 4 months. If you loved Silver Phoenix, you'll love Fury of the Phoenix. If you haven't read Silver Phoenix go read it so that you can be ready for Fury's release.
Fury of the Phoenix kicks off with Ai Ling attempting to get onto a ship without anyone knowing in order to save Chen Yong's life (no spoilers...all told in the first chapter). Though the action is significantly different in this story, as is the journey, I found myself loving the back history that is revealed and how the past and present provide a mystery & love story that sucks the reader in. (Note: I have a huge fictional crush on Chen Yong. Gosh he is yummy!)
I want to say more but I don't want to spoil this especially since the book won't be out for another 3 to 4 months. If you loved Silver Phoenix, you'll love Fury of the Phoenix. If you haven't read Silver Phoenix go read it so that you can be ready for Fury's release.
April 5, 2011
I'm going to be honest. I bought the first book, Silver Phoenix, because the main character Ai Ling has the same name as my best friend and I thought that was pretty hilarious. But then I read it and enjoyed it a lot. I happen to love fantasy, young adult books, China and handsome guys, so it was pretty much a given. However, I did not like the ending; I wanted more! So I was of course pleased to hear that Pon was writing a sequel. Fast forward to now and I can now gush about how much I love this series! Despite my giggles at Ai Ling's name (sorry dear friend, but you would laugh too!), she is a wonderful character. Her determination to live her life the way she wants to and to take care of those she loves makes her a standout in a sea of wimpy teen characters. Chen Yong was still his hot self, (yay for hapa guys!) and Peng was a fun character to kinda spice things up (I was secretly hoping for a love triangle). I loved that Pon brought in the dual view points this time; I feel like the story was so much better for it. All in all, I think this was a great book in a fun series, and I bought both books to put in my classroom library!
January 15, 2011
Fury of the Phoenix starts out as Ai Ling embarks on a new adventure, and is hard to put down the whole way through. Pon throws us right into the action and keeps the tension up as it becomes a dual-POV story with Ai Ling's archenemy from Silver Phoenix. For me, sequels generally disappoint, but definitely not so in this case. As I mentioned in my Silver Phoenix review, I'm personally not a huge high fantasy fan, and this story was based more in reality. Also, the characters were as likable and well-developed as in SP, and the way the two stories began to merge to the inevitable conclusion made this a hugely successful sequel for me. Perfect ending!
April 11, 2012
It slowed down for me at times, but I LOVE what this story does to its prequel, Silver Phoenix. It deepens the original in ways I didn't expect. I'm going to have to read Silver Phoenix again now.
May 24, 2021
In this book, Ai Ling goes on another quest. In the previous book, it was to find her missing father. In this book, it's to join Chong Yen on a trip where HE is going to find out about his own father in a land called Jiang Dao. They are assisted on this journey by a ship Captain named Peng.
Like the previous book, they meet different creatures and people: A race of non-Xians who are a mixture of male and female individuals (possibly androgynous individuals) who want to experiment on Chong Yen and Ai Ling. They also meet sea creatures that suck the life out of you by taking on the form of a loved one.
Possibly taking inspiration from "The Godfather, Part II" we also follow another storyline, a prequel of sorts: In this case, the story of Zhong Ye, from several hundred years ago, and his love affair with the concubine handmaiden Silver Phoenix, whom Ai Ling used to be in a previous life.
Zhong Ye works with a foreigner named Yokan in trying to find immortality. At first, I thought Yokan was the father of Chong Yen, who found immortality and had the relationship with the Emperor's concubine talked about in the previous book.
That wasn't the case.
Zhong Ye is trying to swindle the Emperor, for some reason I forget -- I just finished reading the book a few moments ago, but I want to go off of memory to see how the story resonated with me --and he tries to get a certain concubine to carry the Emperor's child. This is the concubine that not only his lover, Silver Phoenix, is the handmaiden for.
This is confusing because I thought this was the concubine that had the affair with the foreigner, Yokan, but I recall Zhong Ye's story (before he gets the power of immortality) takes place several hundred years before Ai Ling's story. It still was confusing because Zhong Ye's plans weren't entirely clear.
Chong Yen meets his birth father and his cousins Nic and Ah Na (I took it as a play on the names 'Nick' and 'Anna' since we're seeing said names from Ai Ling's point of view, who becomes a foreigner herself in this book) who each have their plans for Chong Yen and Ai Ling. Ah Na wants to marry Chong Yen to keep the family fortune and title, while Nic is smitten with Ai Ling. Yet, that is dropped later on when Chong Yen and Ai Ling finally reveal they like one another.
Another thing I thought was going to happen in this book was the resurrection of Li Rong, who died in the last book. However, it turned out that Ai Ling just burns his heart to rest his soul.
She also needs to put Zhong Ye's soul, currently in hell, to rest since he was still trying to get to her through Chong Yen towards the end of the book.
Overall, it's a book that could have been solid but had a few hiccups, more hiccups than the last book. Also, I felt the ending kind of dragged along. However, I could see a strong screenwriter and director making this duology into a good set of films; correcting those aforementioned hiccups while retaining the author's vision.
Like the previous book, they meet different creatures and people: A race of non-Xians who are a mixture of male and female individuals (possibly androgynous individuals) who want to experiment on Chong Yen and Ai Ling. They also meet sea creatures that suck the life out of you by taking on the form of a loved one.
Possibly taking inspiration from "The Godfather, Part II" we also follow another storyline, a prequel of sorts: In this case, the story of Zhong Ye, from several hundred years ago, and his love affair with the concubine handmaiden Silver Phoenix, whom Ai Ling used to be in a previous life.
Zhong Ye works with a foreigner named Yokan in trying to find immortality. At first, I thought Yokan was the father of Chong Yen, who found immortality and had the relationship with the Emperor's concubine talked about in the previous book.
That wasn't the case.
Zhong Ye is trying to swindle the Emperor, for some reason I forget -- I just finished reading the book a few moments ago, but I want to go off of memory to see how the story resonated with me --and he tries to get a certain concubine to carry the Emperor's child. This is the concubine that not only his lover, Silver Phoenix, is the handmaiden for.
This is confusing because I thought this was the concubine that had the affair with the foreigner, Yokan, but I recall Zhong Ye's story (before he gets the power of immortality) takes place several hundred years before Ai Ling's story. It still was confusing because Zhong Ye's plans weren't entirely clear.
Chong Yen meets his birth father and his cousins Nic and Ah Na (I took it as a play on the names 'Nick' and 'Anna' since we're seeing said names from Ai Ling's point of view, who becomes a foreigner herself in this book) who each have their plans for Chong Yen and Ai Ling. Ah Na wants to marry Chong Yen to keep the family fortune and title, while Nic is smitten with Ai Ling. Yet, that is dropped later on when Chong Yen and Ai Ling finally reveal they like one another.
Another thing I thought was going to happen in this book was the resurrection of Li Rong, who died in the last book. However, it turned out that Ai Ling just burns his heart to rest his soul.
She also needs to put Zhong Ye's soul, currently in hell, to rest since he was still trying to get to her through Chong Yen towards the end of the book.
Overall, it's a book that could have been solid but had a few hiccups, more hiccups than the last book. Also, I felt the ending kind of dragged along. However, I could see a strong screenwriter and director making this duology into a good set of films; correcting those aforementioned hiccups while retaining the author's vision.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 31, 2021
4 stars.
In contrast to Silver Phoenix, Fury of the Phoenix has fewer major events (and Ai Ling oriented catastrophes) but it felt deeper in emotions. While the first book gave us a villain, this one gave us something more than a villain. It made it really hard to hate the villain after exploring the memories. However, in saying that, there was more impact to the climax in the first book than this one - it happened far too quickly and much too briefly.
Ai Ling and Chen Yong were great in this one! But other than a few main side characters, the rest felt like extras without substance, which is a pity. By extras, I mean Nik & co. For a moment it seemed like they would play a bigger role, but ultimately they didn't and it felt just a little wasted.
Nonetheless I did really enjoy this! In my current question to read Asian-inspired fantasies that I haven't read before, this was not bad!
(A more comprehensive review another time.)
In contrast to Silver Phoenix, Fury of the Phoenix has fewer major events (and Ai Ling oriented catastrophes) but it felt deeper in emotions. While the first book gave us a villain, this one gave us something more than a villain. It made it really hard to hate the villain after exploring the memories. However, in saying that, there was more impact to the climax in the first book than this one - it happened far too quickly and much too briefly.
Ai Ling and Chen Yong were great in this one! But other than a few main side characters, the rest felt like extras without substance, which is a pity. By extras, I mean Nik & co. For a moment it seemed like they would play a bigger role, but ultimately they didn't and it felt just a little wasted.
Nonetheless I did really enjoy this! In my current question to read Asian-inspired fantasies that I haven't read before, this was not bad!
(A more comprehensive review another time.)
August 9, 2020
I don't always finish reading a book in one day... but when I do you better bet the book is awesome.
This book furthers Ai Ling and Chen Yong's love story while simultaneously introducing a different version of Zhong Ye than the one we met in the first book. Ai Ling/Chen Yong is cute, but Zhong Ye/Silver Phoenix is just fascinating--especially because we already know how their relationship will end (well, more or less), and because the villain's backstory always makes me wonder at what point we should stop rooting for them.
The writing style reminded me a little of Megan Turner's Queen Attolia, which I still consider one of my favorite books (although post-#MeToo I'm not so sure how I feel about Gen kissing Irene without her consent). I will definitely revisit this one in the near future.
This book furthers Ai Ling and Chen Yong's love story while simultaneously introducing a different version of Zhong Ye than the one we met in the first book. Ai Ling/Chen Yong is cute, but Zhong Ye/Silver Phoenix is just fascinating--especially because we already know how their relationship will end (well, more or less), and because the villain's backstory always makes me wonder at what point we should stop rooting for them.
The writing style reminded me a little of Megan Turner's Queen Attolia, which I still consider one of my favorite books (although post-#MeToo I'm not so sure how I feel about Gen kissing Irene without her consent). I will definitely revisit this one in the near future.
March 8, 2017
I should say that I did read Silver Phoenix but I didn't really remember any of it. I originally thought that I did, I think I remembered the end of the book but not anything that happened in it. That being said I don't think this book depended on the first book as much as I would have expected. Everything was well explained and the parallel stories, Ai Ling and Chen Yong, and Zhong Ye and Silver Phoenix were interesting. (this might be a bit of a spoiler but not really, skip to the next paragraph if you want to be sure) Yes they take place 300 years or so apart, and Zhong Ye and Silver Phoenix's story is taking place in Ai Ling's mind as she lives their memories.
What I liked about the story was that Ai Ling is strong.
"Ai Ling glanced up and gasped. "How do I climb on?" ... The old man nodded to a thick length of rope coiled on the bottom, the tip ending in a sharp four-pronged grapple hook. "Throw that." ... "Walk your feet up the side!" ... Unable to breathe, she squatted like a bruised toad against the ship as it slammed down, and the water surged up to meet her. Focus. One hand over the other, then shuffling with her feet. The rough rope bit into her slick palms. The crew would disperse soon. She would get on board this ship or die trying." (p. 10-11)
It is nice to have a strong female character. It is also nice to read a fantasy book that is about another culture, Chinese in this case even though it is a fictional land.
On the ship Ai Ling and Chen Yong avoid talking about their feelings for each other as well as dealing with the past they have. The captain of the ship Peng knows there is more than what they say. As the journey from Xia to Jiang where Chen Yong expects to find his birth father progresses they must begin to deal with what happened in the past while learning Jiang and confronting the future.
Having this book set between to different lands and cultures (Asian and Western) is very interesting.
On the negative side the book was predictable and frustrating at times because their had to be a confrontation between the past and the present but the way it happened seemed questionable to me. I had a hard time believing that it was real. I really did enjoy reading the book but I found the ending to be slightly unsatisfying. There were many good things about this book and I enjoyed reading it but it isn't one I expect to remember for long.
What I liked about the story was that Ai Ling is strong.
"Ai Ling glanced up and gasped. "How do I climb on?" ... The old man nodded to a thick length of rope coiled on the bottom, the tip ending in a sharp four-pronged grapple hook. "Throw that." ... "Walk your feet up the side!" ... Unable to breathe, she squatted like a bruised toad against the ship as it slammed down, and the water surged up to meet her. Focus. One hand over the other, then shuffling with her feet. The rough rope bit into her slick palms. The crew would disperse soon. She would get on board this ship or die trying." (p. 10-11)
It is nice to have a strong female character. It is also nice to read a fantasy book that is about another culture, Chinese in this case even though it is a fictional land.
On the ship Ai Ling and Chen Yong avoid talking about their feelings for each other as well as dealing with the past they have. The captain of the ship Peng knows there is more than what they say. As the journey from Xia to Jiang where Chen Yong expects to find his birth father progresses they must begin to deal with what happened in the past while learning Jiang and confronting the future.
Having this book set between to different lands and cultures (Asian and Western) is very interesting.
On the negative side the book was predictable and frustrating at times because their had to be a confrontation between the past and the present but the way it happened seemed questionable to me. I had a hard time believing that it was real. I really did enjoy reading the book but I found the ending to be slightly unsatisfying. There were many good things about this book and I enjoyed reading it but it isn't one I expect to remember for long.
August 12, 2017
definitely better than the first book
i liked that it didn't have random magical tangents that didn't tie in
the backstory was really cool, although I was super confused for a long time, and it sort of detracts from the first book because the role of villain just gets passed onto another character??? so now it's like so what's THAT backstory... but still interesting
wasn't a fan of the unnecessary romantic jealousy and other crap though but that's just me
good character development
suffers from not having enough fully developed female characters though
normally i might give this 3 stars but i gave the first book 3 stars soooo
i liked that it didn't have random magical tangents that didn't tie in
the backstory was really cool, although I was super confused for a long time, and it sort of detracts from the first book because the role of villain just gets passed onto another character??? so now it's like so what's THAT backstory... but still interesting
wasn't a fan of the unnecessary romantic jealousy and other crap though but that's just me
good character development
suffers from not having enough fully developed female characters though
normally i might give this 3 stars but i gave the first book 3 stars soooo
January 15, 2018
So satisfying. I like how much Ai Ling grows throughout the duology - she and Chen Yong, really. Their changing understandings of love and tradition and piety (in the filial sense) strike true for adolescence in multiple cultures and supernatural experiences - how are you supposed to go be a traditional married woman after you've ridden dragons and slain demons?
Also impressed and pleased that Cindy Pon enriched and complexified the story of Zhong Ye and Silver Phoenix in such a humanizing way. In the first book, their tale seems almost Disneyish, but here it's developed into something mature and real, echoing the theme of how many ways love can work in the real world.
Also impressed and pleased that Cindy Pon enriched and complexified the story of Zhong Ye and Silver Phoenix in such a humanizing way. In the first book, their tale seems almost Disneyish, but here it's developed into something mature and real, echoing the theme of how many ways love can work in the real world.
January 28, 2018
So sadly my original rating from way back when (most likely high school) did get knocked down a star but still I did have a good time with the book. Definitely a good ending to the series. I thought it was much stronger than the first book, clearly showing how the author has improved with her writing.
July 11, 2022
Cindy Pon has a great skill in building characters that express realistic human emotions. This is the second series I’ve read by her and as usual, the first book in the series sets the stage, while the second one deepens the characters.
I enjoyed this series and her ability to paint worlds through characters, mythology, food, and culture.
I enjoyed this series and her ability to paint worlds through characters, mythology, food, and culture.
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